No lemon - lesson learned in the school of unjust hard knocks. Keep taking their money on future shops - you'll never get dinged for lemons again.

I was denied a few weeks ago for correcting my nugget sauce. I didn't even think about it, she threw down a flavour I think is vile, and it hadn't been what I had asked for. Didn't change the time, I reported that, but didn't matter. Denied. Do not fix anything at the arches ever no matter what, unless you do not receive 3 items. Crappy lesson for both of us :/

@Mafia_Princess wrote:

I was denied a few weeks ago for correcting my nugget sauce. I didn't even think about it, she threw down a flavour I think is vile, and it hadn't been what I had asked for. Didn't change the time, I reported that, but didn't matter. Denied. Do not fix anything at the arches ever no matter what, unless you do not receive 3 items. Crappy lesson for both of us :/

Even if they put "Beetle Juice" in a cup, instead of Creamy Ranch, we must not complain

Maybe it is a Cali kind of thing, but Arches is the only restaurant I know of that doesn't have lemon for tea nor do they offer it. When I get out of the area I am surprised to see it at the drink bar but it is not offered at the DT. You cannot get lemon at my local Arches, even if requested.

Every other FF has it and most ask if you want it. Most sitdown restaurants automatically put a wedge on the brim. Some even do that if you ask for water. Others give you lime automatically.

Perhaps it is becauae citrus is so abundant here. I have always found it odd that you can't get lemon with tea at Arches.

@SunnyDays2 wrote:

Even if they put "Beetle Juice" in a cup, instead of Creamy Ranch, we must not complain

I did not know that Michael Keaton could be served in a cup!

If y'all haven't been grossed out enough, here's another one. Some pink or red drinks will have a coloring agent called Cocchineal. Dictionary definition: Of or relating to cockroaches. They're boiled down, then the liquid used as "food" coloring.

Yummy! Sign me up!

I'll take one of those please

@Sybil2 wrote:

I did not know that Michael Keaton could be served in a cup!

@Sybil2 wrote:

@SunnyDays2 wrote:

Even if they put "Beetle Juice" in a cup, instead of Creamy Ranch, we must not complain

I did not know that Michael Keaton could be served in a cup!

He can be, but only if you say it three times in a row.

@Tarantado wrote:

If you're going to be paranoid about slice lemons, you should just avoid eating at any restaurant altogether... Just imagine some of the non-compliant things that happen such as cross-contamination, not washing hands when changing out gloves, etc. etc.

Maybe scanman is the paranoid one since he posted this thread...
[www.mysteryshopforum.com]

Years ago, when I was completing the question in report regarding whether the receipt was correct, I looked at my receipt. It indicated "no ice" for my order of iced tea. I had not requested such. Almost didn't comment on it, but then I reviewed the guidelines, which were very specific regarding making no special requests. So, I reported that I had not requested no ice, and in fact, I did receive ice, and never heard a word.

The guidelines are generally very specific. As such, it would be a distinction without a difference for any special request to be made, after timings.

I love "extra ice" in my iced tea but I know that I can't request it on the hedgehog shops

For hedgehogs the tea glass should be completely full of ice. I actually would prefer less considering they are at most 1/3 actual tea.

Jeez..with all these hoops to have to jump through and the fee (at least in my area) is $6.00? Hopefully everyone is getting at least the $30 or more fee that these assignments deserve. I've never done one and cannot imagine doing one without a verrry hefty bonus.

@parkcitybrian wrote:

Jeez..with all these hoops to have to jump through and the fee (at least in my area) is $6.00? Hopefully everyone is getting at least the $30 or more fee that these assignments deserve. I've never done one and cannot imagine doing one without a verrry hefty bonus.

What hoops do you speak of? These assignments aren't that difficult though, especially when it's the drive-thru scenario. But I'm sorta with you. If it's not the breakfast times, I don't take the shops unless there's some bonus tagged onto it since the food is meh to me other than their tea.

Definitely no "hoops to jump through." They're very simple. If I want a "free" lunch, I'll take one occasionally for the base fee of $7.50, but I usually wait for bonuses.

I can think of much better free lunches. In fact, the few lunches I do pay a small fee plus the reimbursement. And much healthier food choices with only one required ordering request.

@parkcitybrian, are you a vegan or vegetarian?

@bgriffin wrote:

For hedgehogs the tea glass should be completely full of ice. I actually would prefer less considering they are at most 1/3 actual tea.

Most times they are filled with little ice (or half way) but it seems to melt quick... I like tea with my "ice"

@Sybil2 wrote:

@parkcitybrian, are you a vegan or vegetarian?

nope...love steaks but only rare/medium rare. But...the FF shops are just not my cuppa. I attempt to live a healthy lifestyle which includes being very aware of what I consume and FF conflicts with that attempt.

Ditto! I can't even stand the smell of one of those places when I drive/walk by one. The odor of grease hanging in the air and clogging your arteries. Yuck!

@SunnyDays2 wrote:

@bgriffin wrote:

For hedgehogs the tea glass should be completely full of ice. I actually would prefer less considering they are at most 1/3 actual tea.

Most times they are filled with little ice (or half way) but it seems to melt quick... I like tea with my "ice"

You must not live in the deep south then lol. Here the cups are 100% filled with ice before they even add tea. When they don't upsell me (which is usually :/) I can go through a medium cup in one hit.

@Sybil2 wrote:

I can think of much better free lunches. In fact, the few lunches I do pay a small fee plus the reimbursement. And much healthier food choices with only one required ordering request.

I always find it interesting that we get into dumb debates about which is 'healthier'. Remember when eggs were horrible for you (all that cholesterol, fat, etc.) and now they are being touted as a healthy source of inexpensive protein (or were inexpensive before bird flu started cranking the price of eggs up). And remember when saccharine 'caused cancer'? Turned out that piece of research was lab rats fed NOTHING but saccharine and water--I think I would develop a cancer and croak too with a single item 'diet'. Remember when coffee and caffeine were terrible for you and you should not have more than one caffeinated beverage per day--if even that? And now the indications are that those of us who have more than 4 cups of caffeinated beverage per day are percentage wise a whole lot less likely to develop Altzheimer's. Remember when 'dark chocolate' was sooo good for you and we all cheered? Test sample group of 14 people . . . Remember when tuna was dangerous because it concentrates mercury? Salmon was dangerous for the same reason.

I'm not trying to start a food fight here, but I've been around long enough that what was bad has become good and what was good has become bad. Well rounded balance has always been my family's notion, so animal fats for some things, vegetable oils for others, short cooked veggies when they taste better that way, long slow cooking veggies for a totally different taste, home canned with lots of salt and acid, store bought, starches and pastas, meats of taste preference, nuts, fresh fruit, canned fruit, sweets, salty snacks etc. and ignore the 'fads'. For several generations now the family death certificates could best read 'worn out at the age of 9-', though most of the time the doc looks for the piece of 'the wonderful one horse shay' that wore out first. One family member has an allergy to mold, one to cat dander. No known food allergies in 4 generations, perhaps because we were omnivores from a very early age. There is a fairly substantial population of 'developmentally challenged' folks in their late 30s around here who were lovingly given salt free infant formula by their concerned parents in the test market to keep them from 'learning to love salt', which we all 'knew' to be dangerous. Turns out that salt is needed for normal mental development. The docs just now are getting around to 'exposing' small children to nuts so they don't develop peanut allergies later. Their work is so promising they are going to tackle more of the foods to which people develop allergies . . .

Some of those things, I am not familiar with but I think it is a generational thing. But I honestly do not see how smothering a piece of "chicken" in a greasy fried batter and buttermilk is healthy for anyone.

ETA: I don't always choose the foods I eat because they are "healthy" but I like the way they taste. I can't stand fried foods. Apparently as a small child, my mom and I got food poisoning off of fried clams or something. I was too young to remember the incident but the smell of that kind of food does make me nauseous to this day.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/01/2015 07:12PM by Sybil2.

@Sybil2 wrote:

Some of those things, I am not familiar with but I think it is a generational thing. But I honestly do not see how smothering a piece of "chicken" in a greasy fried batter and buttermilk is healthy for anyone.

ETA: I don't always choose the foods I eat because they are "healthy" but I like the way they taste. I can't stand fried foods. Apparently as a small child, my mom and I got food poisoning off of fried clams or something. I was too young to remember the incident but the smell of that kind of food does make me nauseous to this day.

Yep...I don't want to bore everyone with the details but, if anyone is interested, i suggest doing a little bit of research into what the ingredients are in the FF food items that are required to ingest. And please include the french fries. It's no wonder that their sales #s are way down as the public is becoming more invested in their own healthy lifestyle choices.

I fry food all the time at home but use safflower oil in a professional deep fryer at constant temperatures. Very little oil soaks into the food. I measure it. Lol

@iblessyah wrote:

I fry food all the time at home but use safflower oil in a professional deep fryer at constant temperatures. Very little oil soaks into the food. I measure it. Lol

I agree with you on that. I use peanut oil that is about 1 cm deep in the pan and dont add the breaded pork chop or chicken tenders until the oil is at 375. I quickly brown it on both sides and then stick it in the oven to finish. Since the oil is so hot, not much soaks into the breading and it just seals the juices into the meat. When I cut into a well seasoned pan fried pork chop, it just bursts with meat juices, Not oil.

OTOH, I would not eat nasty mechanically separated FF fried chicken.

I agree with Flash on the idea of avoiding fads and having a well-balanced diet.

However, the reality is that there is a stereotype of mystery shoppers being overweight and that's most likely connected to the diet than many eat while on assignments. Ultimately we are responsible for what we choose to order in most instances and I certainly could make a choice to eat an unhealthy option at many of the fine dining places I evaluate. The problem is not necessarily connected directly to the golden arches, but I think the ordering requirements and food options there don't make it easy for a shopper to eat a well balanced meal when the food is a significant portion of the return on your effort for performing the shop.

I've made a number of rules for myself over the years in order to make improvements in my health and lifestyle. Cutting out sodas, certain fast food places and sweets from my mystery shopping routine has been a big part of that. I'm sure all of those things would probably fine in moderation. I'm just not very good at moderating so I choose to avoid it entirely....

@SteveSoCal wrote:

I've made a number of rules for myself over the years in order to make improvements in my health and lifestyle. Cutting out sodas, certain fast food places and sweets from my mystery shopping routine has been a big part of that. I'm sure all of those things would probably fine in moderation. I'm just not very good at moderating so I choose to avoid it entirely....

I am a recovering Coke addict myself. The carbonated kind. I had to quit cold turkey. Moderation for that addiction does not work for me. I am not much of a sweet eater so that is not a problem for me but I like salty, crunchy snacks so I have to avoid those. I buy bottled water and a fresh piece of fruit for many of my required small purchases at gas stations and C-stores.

Maybe my age is showing, when I was a kid FF was an extremely rare treat as in once every few months at the most. Same with soda, we drank milk with virtually all our meals. We did have pizza a little more often, maybe once a month, but that pizza was from a local Italian restaurant not a chain.